DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Status of Claims
This is a final office action for application 18/178,530 in response to the amendment(s) filed on 12/23/2025. Claims 1-3, 6-13 and 16-17 are under examination.
Withdrawn Objections
The amendment(s) to the claim(s), specification, and/or drawing(s) filed 12/23/2025 is acknowledged and the previous claim objections are withdrawn.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments/amendments filed on 12/23/2025 have been fully considered.
And were found persuasive over the previous prior art rejection of record. However, in light of the amendments a new search was conducted that renders the previous arguments moot and a new grounds of rejection has been made. See claims 1-3, 6-13 and 16-17 rejection below.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Claims 1-3, 6 and 10-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al. (US-20120115004-A1) and further in view of Meintschel et al. (DE 102008034863 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Park discloses a battery module case (see e.g. "battery module" in Abstract and FIG. 1), comprising:
a plurality of end plates spaced apart from each other in a horizontal direction to accommodate a plurality of battery cells (see e.g. "end plates" in paragraph [0032] and part number 39 in FIG. 1; the end plates are spaced apart from each other in a horizontal direction and a plurality of battery cells are in between);
a cover disposed on one surface of each of the plurality of end plates (see e.g. "fixing members" in paragraph [0051] and part number 42 in FIG. 3) and having at least one hole extending in the horizontal direction formed therein (see e.g. "fixing holes" in paragraph [0056] and part number 426 in FIG. 3); and
a coupling part coupled to one of the plurality of end plates through the at least one hole (see e.g. "fastener" in paragraph [0056] and part number 37 in FIG. 3)
wherein:
the coupling part comprises a body and a head having a larger area than the body (see e.g. part number 37 in FIG. 4 and annotated figure below),
the body passes through the at least one hole (see e.g. part number 426 in FIG. 4) and is coupled to a fixing hole formed in one of the plurality of end plates (see e.g. part number 39c in FIG. 3 , and the head is in contact with a peripheral area of the at least one hole (see e.g. part number 426 in FIG. 4) and,
the head is in contact with a peripheral area of the at least one hole (see e.g. FIG 5).
Park does not disclose that the peripheral area has a different coefficient of friction depending on a location in the horizontal direction.
Meintschel, in the same field of endeavor, battery module cases, discloses a coupling part (see e.g. “fixing screw 13” in paragraph [27] on page 3 and part number 13 in FIG. 2 of Meintschel) comprising a body and a head (see e.g. “screw head 16” in paragraph [29] on page 4 and part number 16 in FIG. 2), wherein the head is in contact with a peripheral area of a hole (see e.g. hole 11, sliding washer 15, and screw head 16 in FIG. 6), and wherein the peripheral area has a different coefficient of friction depending on a location in the horizontal direction (see e.g. paragraphs [76] and [83] on page 9).
Specifically, Meintschel discloses sliding washers 15 arranged at holes 11 (see e.g. paragraph [76]), the sliding washers being formed of plastic or Teflon to allow sliding of the cooling plate 4 in the horizontal direction. Thus, at locations of the peripheral area where sliding washers 15 are disposed, a low-friction material interface is present between the screw head 16 and the hole 11. In contrast, other portions of the peripheral area that are not provided with sliding washers inherently form a different material interface and therefore provide a different coefficient of friction (see e.g. FIG. 6). Furthermore, Meintschel discloses that the inner diameter of hole 11 is greater than the outer diameter of spacer sleeve 14, thereby providing clearance to allow limited horizontal movement at that location (see e.g. paragraph [83]), reinforcing that the frictional characteristics vary depending on the horizontal location around the hole.
Meintschel further teaches that when a battery cover is decoupled to a limited extent from the battery housing, the cover is movable horizontally, such that when temperature differences or thermal expansion occur between the cover and the housing, damage to the battery can be prevented (see e.g. paragraph [8] on page 2 of Meintschel). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the peripheral hole interface of Park et al. to include the friction-modifying arrangement as taught by Meintschel et al., such that selected locations of the peripheral area include low-friction material interfaces while other locations provide relatively higher friction, in order to permit controlled horizontal movement and prevent battery damage due to differences in temperature and thermal expansion between the cover and the housing, as suggested by Meintschel.
Regarding Claim 2, Park in view of Meintschel discloses the battery module case of claim 1 (see e.g. claim 1 rejection above).
Park does not disclose that when a pressure equal to or greater than a reference value is applied to the plurality of end plates in the horizontal direction, a distance between the plurality of end plates is changed.
Meintschel, however, discloses a battery module structure in which horizontal movement occurs only when forces in the horizontal direction exceed a predetermined static friction threshold (see e.g. "This is the static friction between the sliding disks and the cooling plate decreases and a horizontal movement of the cooling plate by sliding over the sliding discs allows." in paragraph [14] on page 3). Specifically, Meintschel discloses that sliding disks 15 are arranged at holes 11 and that the coefficient of friction between the sliding disks 15 and the cooling plate 4 is selected such that horizontal movement is permitted when sufficient force is applied (see e.g. paragraph [14]). Meintschel further discloses that the cooling plate 4 can move horizontally relative to the housing in order to compensate for thermal expansion (see e.g. paragraph [21]).
Meintschel further teaches that when a battery cover is decoupled to a limited extent from the battery housing, the cover is movable horizontally, such that when temperature differences or thermal expansion occur between the cover and the housing, damage to the battery can be prevented (see e.g. paragraph [8] on page 2 of Meintschel). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the battery module case of Park et al. to incorporate the friction-controlled horizontal movability as taught by Meintschel et al., such that when a horizontal pressure equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value (i.e. the static friction threshold determined by material selection and spring preload) is applied to the end plates, relative horizontal movement occurs and the distance between the end plates correspondingly changes in order to accommodate thermal expansion and prevent damage to the battery module components as suggested by Meintschel.
Regarding Claim 3, Park in view of Meintschel discloses the battery module case of claim 1 (see e.g. claim 1 rejection above).
Park does not disclose that when a pressure equal to or greater than a reference value is applied to the plurality of end plates in the horizontal direction, a location of the coupling part is changed in the at least one hole.
Meintschel, however, discloses that when a pressure equal to or greater than a reference value is applied to the plurality of end plates in the horizontal direction, a location of the coupling part is changed in the at least one hole (see e.g. “a horizontal movement of the cooling plate by sliding over the sliding discs allows” in paragraph [14] on page 3 and paragraphs [91] on page 10 and paragraph [106] on page 11).
Meintschel further teaches that when a battery cover is decoupled to a limited extent from the battery housing, the cover is movable horizontally, such that when temperature differences or thermal expansion occur between the cover and the housing, damage to the battery can be prevented (see e.g. paragraph [8] on page 2 of Meintschel). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the battery module case of Park et al. to incorporate the friction-controlled horizontal movability as taught by Meintschel et al., such that when a horizontal pressure equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value (i.e. the static friction threshold determined by material selection and spring preload) is applied, the location of the coupling part in the at least one hole changes in order to accommodate thermal expansion and prevent damage to the battery module components as suggested by Meintschel.
Regarding Claim 6, Park in view of Meintschel discloses the battery module case of claim 1 (see e.g. claim 1 rejection above).
Park does not disclose that the peripheral area has a larger coefficient of friction as the location is farther from a center location of the cover.
Meintschel, however, discloses a battery module structure in which sliding disks 15 are arranged at holes 11 and other portions of the peripheral area are in direct contact with the cooling plate 4 or housing, such that the coefficient of friction varies depending on the location of the peripheral area (see e.g. paragraph [14] on page 3 and paragraph [76] on page 9). Specifically, locations with sliding disks have a lower coefficient of friction, while locations without sliding disks inherently have a higher coefficient of friction. Therefore, the arrangement taught by Meintschel inherently results in some portions of the peripheral area having a larger coefficient of friction as the location is farther from the center of the cover, because sliding washers are generally arranged near the central region while the outer regions of the peripheral area are in direct contact with the housing or other structural features (see e.g. FIG. 6 of Meintschel).
Meintschel further teaches that when a battery cover is decoupled to a limited extent from the battery housing, the cover is movable horizontally, such that when temperature differences or thermal expansion occur between the cover and the housing, damage to the battery can be prevented (see e.g. paragraph [8] on page 2 of Meintschel). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the battery module case of Park et al. to include the frictional arrangement of Meintschel et al., such that the peripheral area inherently exhibits a larger coefficient of friction as the location is farther from the center of the cover, in order to permit controlled horizontal movement and prevent damage to the battery module components as suggested by Meintschel.
Regarding Claim 10, Park discloses a battery module comprising (see e.g. "battery module" in Abstract and FIG. 1):
a plurality of battery cells stacked in one direction (see e.g. part number 20 in FIG. 1);
a plurality of end plates disposed on both ends of the plurality of battery cells (see e.g. "end plates" in paragraph [0032] and part number 39 in FIG. 1);
a cover disposed on one surface of each of the plurality of end plates (see e.g. "fixing members" in paragraph [0051] and part number 42 in FIG. 3) and having at least one hole extending in the one direction formed therein (see e.g. "fixing holes" in paragraph [0056] and part number 426 in FIG. 3); and
a coupling part coupled to one of the plurality of end plates through the at least one hole (see e.g. "fastener" in paragraph [0056] and part number 37 in FIG. 3)
wherein:
the coupling part comprises a body and a head having a larger area than the body (see e.g. part number 37 in FIG. 4 and annotated figure below),
the body passes through the at least one hole (see e.g. part number 426 in FIG. 4) and is coupled to a fixing hole formed in one of the plurality of end plates (see e.g. part number 39c in FIG. 3 , and the head is in contact with a peripheral area of the at least one hole (see e.g. part number 426 in FIG. 4) and,
the head is in contact with a peripheral area of the at least one hole (see e.g. FIG 5).
Park does not disclose that the peripheral area has a different coefficient of friction depending on a location in the horizontal direction.
Meintschel, in the same field of endeavor, battery module cases, discloses a coupling part (see e.g. “fixing screw 13” in paragraph [27] on page 3 and part number 13 in FIG. 2 of Meintschel) comprising a body and a head (see e.g. “screw head 16” in paragraph [29] on page 4 and part number 16 in FIG. 2), wherein the head is in contact with a peripheral area of a hole (see e.g. hole 11, sliding washer 15, and screw head 16 in FIG. 6), and wherein the peripheral area has a different coefficient of friction depending on a location in the horizontal direction (see e.g. paragraphs [76] and [83] on page 9).
Specifically, Meintschel discloses sliding washers 15 arranged at holes 11 (see e.g. paragraph [76]), the sliding washers being formed of plastic or Teflon to allow sliding of the cooling plate 4 in the horizontal direction. Thus, at locations of the peripheral area where sliding washers 15 are disposed, a low-friction material interface is present between the screw head 16 and the hole 11. In contrast, other portions of the peripheral area that are not provided with sliding washers inherently form a different material interface and therefore provide a different coefficient of friction (see e.g. FIG. 6). Furthermore, Meintschel discloses that the inner diameter of hole 11 is greater than the outer diameter of spacer sleeve 14, thereby providing clearance to allow limited horizontal movement at that location (see e.g. paragraph [83]), reinforcing that the frictional characteristics vary depending on the horizontal location around the hole.
Meintschel further teaches that when a battery cover is decoupled to a limited extent from the battery housing, the cover is movable horizontally, such that when temperature differences or thermal expansion occur between the cover and the housing, damage to the battery can be prevented (see e.g. paragraph [8] on page 2 of Meintschel). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the peripheral hole interface of Park et al. to include the friction-modifying arrangement as taught by Meintschel et al., such that selected locations of the peripheral area include low-friction material interfaces while other locations provide relatively higher friction, in order to permit controlled horizontal movement and prevent battery damage due to differences in temperature and thermal expansion between the cover and the housing, as suggested by Meintschel.
Regarding Claim 11, Park in view of Meintschel discloses the battery module case of claim 10 (see e.g. claim 10 rejection above).
Park does not disclose that when a pressure equal to or greater than a reference value is applied to the plurality of end plates in the horizontal direction, a distance between the plurality of end plates is changed.
Meintschel, however, discloses a battery module structure in which horizontal movement occurs only when forces in the horizontal direction exceed a predetermined static friction threshold (see e.g. "This is the static friction between the sliding disks and the cooling plate decreases and a horizontal movement of the cooling plate by sliding over the sliding discs allows." in paragraph [14] on page 3). Specifically, Meintschel discloses that sliding disks 15 are arranged at holes 11 and that the coefficient of friction between the sliding disks 15 and the cooling plate 4 is selected such that horizontal movement is permitted when sufficient force is applied (see e.g. paragraph [14]). Meintschel further discloses that the cooling plate 4 can move horizontally relative to the housing in order to compensate for thermal expansion (see e.g. paragraph [21]).
Meintschel further teaches that when a battery cover is decoupled to a limited extent from the battery housing, the cover is movable horizontally, such that when temperature differences or thermal expansion occur between the cover and the housing, damage to the battery can be prevented (see e.g. paragraph [8] on page 2 of Meintschel). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the battery module of Park et al. to incorporate the friction-controlled horizontal movability as taught by Meintschel et al., such that when a horizontal pressure equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value (i.e. the static friction threshold determined by material selection and spring preload) is applied to the end plates, relative horizontal movement occurs and the distance between the end plates correspondingly changes in order to accommodate thermal expansion and prevent damage to the battery module components as suggested by Meintschel.
Regarding Claim 12, Park in view of Meintschel discloses the battery module case of claim 11 (see e.g. claim 11 rejection above).
Park does not disclose that when the reference value is a value included in a range of 10 kN or more and less than 40 kN.
Meintschel, however, discloses a battery module structure in which horizontal movement of the coupling part or cooling plate occurs only when horizontal forces exceed the static friction threshold defined by the sliding disks 15 and the bias of tension or spring elements 17 (see e.g. paragraphs [14], [89]–[91], and [106] of Meintschel).
Meintschel, however, does not explicitly disclose a numerical value for this threshold.
Because the static friction is determined solely by the structure and materials disclosed by Meintschel (i.e. sliding disks 15, cooling plate 4, and tension/spring element 17) and these structural features are essentially identical to those of the claimed module, it would be inherent that the static friction threshold would fall within the claimed range of 10 kN or more and less than 40 kN. See MPEP 2112(III) and MPEP 2112.01(I).
Meintschel further teaches that when a battery cover is decoupled to a limited extent from the battery housing, the cover is movable horizontally, such that when temperature differences or thermal expansion occur between the cover and the housing, damage to the battery can be prevented (see e.g. paragraph [8] on page 2 of Meintschel). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the battery module case of Park et al. to incorporate the friction-controlled horizontal movability as taught by Meintschel et al., such that when a horizontal pressure equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value (i.e. the static friction threshold determined by material selection and spring preload) is applied to the end plates, relative horizontal movement occurs and the distance between the end plates correspondingly changes in order to accommodate thermal expansion and prevent damage to the battery module components as suggested by Meintschel.
Regarding Claim 13, Park in view of Meintschel discloses the battery module case of claim 10 (see e.g. claim 10 rejection above).
Park does not disclose that when at least one of the plurality of battery cells expands, a location of the coupling part is changed in the at least one hole.
Meintschel, however, discloses a battery module structure in which the coupling part (e.g. fixing screws 13) is movable in the hole when horizontal forces exceed the static friction threshold defined by the sliding disks 15 and the bias of tension or spring elements 17 (see e.g. “a horizontal movement of the cooling plate by sliding over the sliding discs allows” in paragraph [14] on page 3 and paragraphs [91] on page 10 and paragraph [106] on page 11). Meintschel further discloses that horizontal movement occurs to accommodate differential expansion between the cooling plate 4 (cover) and the housing, including forces caused by expansion of the battery cells (see e.g. paragraph [21] on page 3).
Meintschel further teaches that when a battery cover is decoupled to a limited extent from the battery housing, the cover is movable horizontally, such that when temperature differences or thermal expansion occur between the cover and the housing, damage to the battery can be prevented (see e.g. paragraph [8] on page 2 of Meintschel). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the battery module case of Park et al. to incorporate the friction-controlled horizontal movability as taught by Meintschel et al., such that when at least one of the plurality of battery cells expands, the location of the coupling part in the at least one hole changes in order to accommodate thermal expansion and prevent damage to the battery module components as suggested by Meintschel.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al. (US-20120115004-A1) in view of Meintschel et al. (DE 102008034863 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Ohgitani et al. (US-20140205878-A1).
Regarding Claim 7, Park in view of Meintschel discloses the battery module of claim 1 (see e.g. claim 1 rejection above).
Park in view of Meintschel does not disclose that the cover comprises an upper cover and a lower cover, the upper cover is configured to surround a top surface, a portion of a front surface, and a portion of a rear surface of each of the plurality of end plates, and the lower cover is configured to surround a bottom surface, another portion of the front surface, and another portion of the rear surface of each of the plurality of end plates.
Ohgitani, however, in the same field of endeavor, battery module cases, discloses a cover (see e.g. "battery case" in paragraph [0024] and part number 1 in FIG. 1 of Ohgitani) comprising an upper cover (see e.g. part number 4 in FIG. 1 of Ohgitani) and a lower cover (see e.g. part number 3 in FIG. 1 of Ohgitani), the upper cover is configured to surround a top surface, a portion of a front surface, and a portion of a rear surface of each of the plurality of end plates (see e.g. FIG. 1), and the lower cover is configured to surround a bottom surface, another portion of the front surface, and another portion of the rear surface of each of the plurality of end plates (see e.g. FIG. 1 of Ohgitani).
Ohgitani further teaches that using a cover like this can leader to lower manufacturing costs and improving productivity of the battery module (see e.g. paragraph [0013] of Ohgitani). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the battery module case cover of Park et al. in view of Meintschel et al. such that it comprises an upper cover and a lower cover, the upper cover being configured to surround a top surface, a portion of a front surface, and a portion of a rear surface of each of the plurality of end plates, and the lower cover being configured to surround a bottom surface, another portion of the front surface, and another portion of the rear surface of each of the plurality of end plates as taught by Ohgitani et al. in order to lower manufacturing costs and improve productivity of the battery module as suggested by Ohgitani.
Claims 8-9 and 16-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park et al. (US-20120115004-A1) in view of Meintschel et al. (DE 102008034863 A1) as applied to claims 1 and 10 above, and further in view of Kim et al. (US-20190363392-A1).
Regarding Claim 8, Park in view of Meintschel discloses the battery module of claim 1 (see e.g. claim 1 rejection above).
Park in view of Meintschel does not disclose that at least one of the plurality of end plates comprises a bump formed on a surface different from the one surface, the cover comprises a plurality of recessed parts disposed in the horizontal direction, and the bump is accommodated in one of the plurality of recessed parts.
Kim, however, in the same field of endeavor, battery modules for a plurality of battery cells, discloses a battery module case (see e.g. FIG. 4 of Kim), wherein at least one of the plurality of end plates comprises a bump formed on one surface different from the one surface (see e.g. part number 215 in FIG. 4 of Kim), the cover comprises a plurality of recessed parts disposed in the horizontal direction (see e.g. part number 216 in FIG. 4 of Kim), and the bump is accommodated in one of the plurality of recessed parts (see e.g. FIG. 4 of Kim; the bump (part number 215) fits into the recesses (part number 216) of the cover).
Kim further teaches that it is possible to prevent a sudden death phenomenon from being generated at battery cells by allowing a uniform pressure to be applied to the battery cells by means of an elastic member when swelling occurs at the battery cells (see e.g. paragraph [0018] of Kim). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the battery case end plates of Park et al. in view of Meintschel et al. such that the end plates comprise a bump formed on a surface different from the one surface, the cover comprising a plurality of recessed parts disposed in the horizontal direction, and the bump is accommodated in one of the plurality of recessed parts as taught by Kim et al. in order to allow a uniform pressure to be applied to the battery cells by means of an elastic member when swelling occurs at the battery cells to prevent sudden death phenomenon from being generated in the battery cells as suggested by Kim.
Regarding Claim 9, Park in view of Meintschel and further in view of Kim discloses the battery module of claim 8 (see e.g. claim 8 rejection above).
Park in view of Meintschel does not disclose that when a pressure equal to or greater than a reference value is applied to the plurality of end plates in the horizontal direction, the bump is accommodated in another one of the plurality of recessed parts.
Kim, however, discloses that when the bump (part number 215) and the recessed part (part number 216) are engaged with each other when swelling occurs at the battery cell, such that when the first end plate (part number 211) moves toward the second end plate (part number 212) due to pressure, the bump (part number 215) may be accommodated in another recessed part (part number 216) (see e.g. paragraph [0043] of Kim and FIG. 4). Thus, when a pressure equal to or greater than a reference value is applied (i.e. the swelling pressure sufficient to cause movement of the first end plate) in the horizontal direction, the bump is accommodated in another one of the plurality of recessed parts.
Kim further teaches that it is possible to prevent a sudden death phenomenon from being generated at battery cells by allowing a uniform pressure to be applied to the battery cells by means of an elastic member when swelling occurs at the battery cells (see e.g. paragraph [0018] of Kim). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the battery module case of Park et al. in view Meintschel et al. such that when a pressure equal to or greater than a reference value is applied to the plurality of end plates in the horizontal direction, the bump is accommodated in another one of the plurality of recessed parts as taught by Kim et al. in order to allow a uniform pressure to be applied to the battery cells by means of an elastic member when swelling occurs at the battery cells to prevent sudden death phenomenon from being generated in the battery cells as suggested by Kim.
Regarding Claim 16, Park in view of Meintschel discloses the battery module case of claim 10 (see e.g. claim 10 rejection above).
Park in view of Meintschel does not disclose that at least one of the plurality of end plates comprises a bump formed on a surface different from the one surface, the cover comprises a plurality of recessed parts disposed in the one direction, and the bump is accommodated in one of the plurality of recessed parts.
Kim, however, in the same field of endeavor, battery modules for a plurality of battery cells, discloses a battery module case (see e.g. FIG. 4 of Kim), wherein at least one of the plurality of end plates comprises a bump formed on one surface different from the one surface (see e.g. part number 215 in FIG. 4 of Kim), the cover comprises a plurality of recessed parts disposed in the horizontal direction (see e.g. part number 216 in FIG. 4 of Kim), and the bump is accommodated in one of the plurality of recessed parts (see e.g. FIG. 4 of Kim; the bump (part number 215) fits into the recesses (part number 216) of the cover).
Kim further teaches that it is possible to prevent a sudden death phenomenon from being generated at battery cells by allowing a uniform pressure to be applied to the battery cells by means of an elastic member when swelling occurs at the battery cells (see e.g. paragraph [0018] of Kim). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the battery module end plates of Park et al. in view of Meintschel et al. such that one of the plurality of end plates comprises a bump formed on a surface different from the one surface, the cover comprises a plurality of recessed parts disposed in the one direction, and the bump is accommodated in one of the plurality of recessed parts as taught by Kim in order to allow a uniform pressure to be applied to the battery cells by means of an elastic member when swelling occurs at the battery cells to prevent sudden death phenomenon from being generated in the battery cells as suggested by Kim.
Regarding Claim 17, Park in view of Meintschel discloses the battery module case of claim 16 (see e.g. claim 16 rejection above).
Park in view of Meintschel does not disclose that when at least one of the plurality of battery cells expands, the bump is accommodated in another one of the plurality of recessed parts.
Kim, however, discloses that when the bump (part number 215) and the recessed part (part number 216) are engaged with each other when swelling occurs at the battery cell, such that when the first end plate (part number 211) moves toward the second end plate (part number 212) due to pressure, the bump (part number 215) may be accommodated in another recessed part (part number 216) (see e.g. paragraph [0043] of Kim and FIG. 4). Thus, when a pressure is applied (i.e. the swelling pressure sufficient to cause movement of the first end plate) in the horizontal direction, the bump is accommodated in another one of the plurality of recessed parts.
Kim further teaches that it is possible to prevent a sudden death phenomenon from being generated at battery cells by allowing a uniform pressure to be applied to the battery cells by means of an elastic member when swelling occurs at the battery cells (see e.g. paragraph [0018] of Kim). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the battery module of date of the claimed invention, to modify the battery module end plates of Park et al. in view of Meintschel et al. such that when at least one of the plurality of battery cells expands, the bump is accommodated in another one of the plurality of recessed parts as taught by Kim et al. in order to allow a uniform pressure to be applied to the battery cells by means of an elastic member when swelling occurs at the battery cells to prevent sudden death phenomenon from being generated in the battery cells as suggested by Kim.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/J.J.E./Examiner, Art Unit 1723
/TONG GUO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1723